Two men, who claimed Michael Jackson had s*xually molested them for years as youngsters, have their dismissed claims against him reopened by a California appeals court.
Following a provisional ruling that would send the cases back to a lower court for trial, the court appears set to approve the move.
Wade Robson and James Safechuck filed the lawsuits in 2013 and 2014, respectively, following the demise of Jackson in 2009. After sharing their experiences in the 2019 HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, the two men gained additional notoriety.
Both filed lawsuits against MJJ Productions Inc. and MJJ Ventures Inc., two businesses of which Jackson served as the only shareholder and proprietor.
Judge Mark A. Young of the Superior Court dismissed the lawsuits in 2021 after finding that the two corporations and their employees had no obligation under the law to defend Mr. Robson and Mr. Safechuck from Jackson.
However, the 2nd District Court of Appeal of California overturned that judgment in a provisional ruling last month and ordered the cases back to trial.
The Jackson estate’s attorneys will attempt to persuade the appeals court to change its mind on Wednesday.
The claims have previously recovered from a 2017 dismissal by Judge Young, who did so because they were out of time. The appeals court reinstated them as a result of a new California statute that temporarily enlarged the scope of s*xual assault prosecutions.
2015 saw the dismissal of Jackson’s estate or the assets he left behind, as a defendant.
Mr. Robson, a choreographer now in his forties, first met Jackson when he was five years old. He later recorded for the star’s label and made appearances in his music videos.
Jackson allegedly raped him during a seven-year period, according to his lawsuit. He was Jackson’s employee, and the two businesses had a responsibility to keep him safe, just as Boy Scouts or a school would have to keep students safe from their leaders.
When he was nine years old, Mr. Safechuck, now 45, claims in his suit that he encountered Jackson while filming a Pepsi commercial. He said Jackson pampered him with gifts and frequent phone calls before engaging in a string of s*xual assaults.
The Jackson estate has categorically and again disputed that the singer molested either of the boys. It has also emphasized that both Mr. Robson and Mr. Safechuck testified during Jackson’s 2005 criminal trial that they had not been molested.
Each time, both men have come forward and given their consent to be named.